


The Scholar And the Seeker

by AlienAnimator



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Sibling Bonding, Slow Burn, but quirrel does not die, t rating is for some likely heavy talk about parental trauma relating to the vessels, vessel trauma healing, well a couple characters that die in canon still die
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26656570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlienAnimator/pseuds/AlienAnimator
Summary: Quirrel isn't as young as he used to be, and settles in Dirtmouth, where he meets the strange little wanderer from his travels along with their siblings. Ghost introduces him to a rather eccentric fellow they think he'd get along just fine with.
Relationships: Hornet & The Knight (Hollow Knight), Relic Seeker Lemm/Quirrel (Hollow Knight), The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Hornet & The Knight, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & The Knight
Comments: 5
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

The orange glow from the depths of the well in Dirtmouth had dimmed, and terrible noises could no longer be heard. For the first time in a century, there was stillness. The fog had cleared and the howling winds had died down. Calm silence fell over the town. 

With the sound of the well’s chain rattling, a small dark hand reached out and found purchase on the stones of the rim. A small figure tumbled to the ground beside it, followed by one slightly larger, and finally one larger still. 

With his lodgings secured, Quirrel was free to take a look around the small town he’d found himself in. When he was a younger bug, he’d have found it sad and boring, but that time was long past now. He’d done enough exploration and seen enough of the world, and now he was ready to settle down. Absorbed in the tablet he was studying, he didn’t expect to be enthusiastically grabbed by the leg by, he could only assume by the height, a small child. The pillbug looked down and to his surprise, the little wanderer from his travels was looking back at him with their characteristic wide-eyed stare. He extricated himself from their grip and chuckled amiably as he began to speak.

“Oh, hello friend, what brings you here? I’ve been staying here for some time now, I have my pick of housing with most of the residents gradually gone down that well a little ways from here.”

The little wanderer said nothing as always, but began to flap their hands in what he could only assume was delight. 

“I… suppose I won’t get an exact answer from you, but I can see very well that you’re happy to meet me again!”

At this time, another bug rounded a corner and walked toward the pair who Quirrel immediately recognized from the cliffs outside Hallownest. He initially stiffened in alarm, but their relaxed stance and gait even when seeming to recognize him as well showed him that there was nothing to worry about. 

“Greetings, traveler. I see you’ve already become acquainted with my sibling?” The bug gestured with an outstretched hand towards the little wanderer, their red pleated cloak falling aside to reveal another set of arms. A spider, then? How curious.

“The little one is your sibling? I should’ve known, with the way they carry themself. Shall we introduce ourselves formally, since combat is off the table?”

“Much obliged. I am Hornet, protector of Hallownest and heir to the lands of Deepnest now that the stasis has ended.”

“I’ve heard that name somewhere before… Anyway, I am Quirrel, former assistant to the Teacher Monomon.”

“I see that you no longer carry her mask with you, nor that nail of yours.”

“Indeed I don’t. On the topic of introductions, what is the little wanderer’s name?”

“They’ve never given me a name they prefer me to call them by, but I’ve taken to calling them Ghost. I think it fits them, don’t you agree?”

Quirrel turned back to face Ghost, whose gaze was still fixed on him, expression unchanging. “That it does.”

Hornet went to face the road from which she’d come, and turned her head back to speak to Quirrel as she watched. “Come, you must meet our other sibling.”

“Another sibling? Would I know them?”   
“You may have met them a long time ago, if my memory serves, but not in their current state, no. Maybe you’d recognize their imposing stature from the statue in the city?”

Quirrel fell silent a moment while the gears in his head turned, processing her statement. Then, his eyes widened and he spoke. “Your other sibling… is the Hollow Knight?”

Hornet nodded solemnly. “Yes.”

Quirrel looked with shock and sadness at the crumpled figure that lay before him. Cowering under blankets with what looked to be bandages covering a terrible crack over one eye, this was hardly the glory and stature he would expect from a knight of Hallownest. But then again, he’d found surprises in every corner of the kingdom, and this was no different. The way they held themselves as they gazed at him seemed to indicate that they were scared by his presence, and upon noticing this, Hornet strode over to them and gave them a reassuring gentle pat between the horns. He hadn’t noticed before, but Ghost was nestled into the curve their body formed as they lay, seemingly fast asleep. Keeping his voice down so as not to disturb them, he spoke.

“Shall I leave them alone for now, or should I allow them to get used to my presence?”

Hornet replied, her voice hushed as well. “I think it would be best to leave them to rest for now, but as they heal from their physical injuries, it might be nice for them to meet new people as well. Keep in mind, they will be very wary.”

“That’s alright, whatever keeps them happy. I must ask, was there some, hm… mistreatment in their past that caused all this?”

“Yes, to answer briefly. The actual story is quite long, and can wait for later.”

“I’m interested in talking more with Ghost when they wake up, would you fetch me or shall I just come back in an hour?”

“Coming back in an hour would be fine, I must stay here and keep watch over Hollow. They get very anxious when left alone while they are awake.”

“I see they’ve gotten a name too. I hope they find it suitable.”

Quirrel arrived back at the three’s house in an hour as he had promised, just as Ghost was beginning to wake up. As he opened the door, they sat up and stretched, arching their back. Now, Hollow seemed to be the one fast asleep, chin resting on their folded arm and one good eye shut tight. 

Quirrel crinkled his eyes in happiness at seeing Ghost. “Hello, friend! It’s so nice to see you again, now that we know this is where we’re going to stay.”

Ghost bounded over to him and sat down on the floor, patting the ground next to them to indicate they wanted him to as well. 

The pillbug obliged, sitting cross-legged beside them. “Is there something you want to show me?”

The little wanderer pulled out their map and unfolded it on the ground in front of the two of them. Quirrel noted that it was exceptionally well-drawn, more accurate lines in ink seemingly having been added over a rudimentary pencil sketch of each area. The surface was littered with pins, some bearing symbols and some in flashy colors. Ghost looked up at his face to see if he was looking at the map, and then pointed intently to one particular pin marking a spot in the City of Tears. This one seemed to represent a merchant of some sort, though the emblem didn’t show a face like most of the others of its type did.

“Hm… I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what you’re trying to say. Is there something important about this place?”

Ghost forcefully pointed a finger to him, making eye contact and holding the pose for a second or two, then pointed again to the map pin with the same force, still looking him in the eye.

“Do you want me to visit this place?”

Ghost appeared to be thinking for a moment, then pointed to themself as well.

“You want me to come with you when you visit this place?”

They nodded enthusiastically and clapped their hands.

“Alright, shall we visit first thing tomorrow? I make it a habit to get up bright and early anyway, so it’ll be no trouble.”

Ghost leaned into him and flapped their hands in joy.


	2. Chapter 2

Quirrel ducked down to follow Ghost through the cluttered doorway they had led him to, trying not to bump into anything on the way in. He absolutely wasn’t expecting what he saw on the other side: the chamber was actually decently roomy, but so packed with items from floor to ceiling and on every available surface that it felt so much smaller. His eyes wandering around the room and the frankly ridiculous amount of things in it, they finally rested on the desk in the center, occupied by a bug with a rather impressive beard who seemed to be intently absorbed in peering through a magnifying glass at a stone tablet and taking notes on a scroll. Ghost bounded over to the front of the desk and rapped on the surface with their hand to get their attention, startling them and causing them to jerk their head up and nearly drop their tablet.

“Huh? Who’s there? Oh, it’s you. Got anything for me? You know the rule, hand over some relics or leave.”

Ghost raised their arms to spread open their cloak, and several items that looked similar to the ones cluttering the shelves all around clattered out onto the floor. Quirrel counted 2 stone tablets and three Hallownest seals. They collected all of them and placed them on the bug’s desk. The relic dealer (Quirrel was pretty sure that’s what this shop was) picked each one up and inspected it, squinting at them as they looked closely.

“Hmm. Another haul of wanderer’s journals and seals, eh? I won’t pay a high price for them, but I’ll still take them if you’ll give them to me. Having more material to study from is always the best for any serious pursuit of knowledge, you know.” (Based on the state of their shop, Quirrel thought it was predictable that that’s what they’d have to say on the topic.)

“Ah, was this journal from Greenpath? It looks as if it’s accrued some acid damage and moss growth on the surface of the stone. That’s interesting, because most tablets I have from that area have a different style of relief in the stone in how the words were carved in. Perhaps this is the work of a traveler passing through. Interesting, I’ll have to file it away to study later.”

Ghost didn’t speak (and they were not expected to), but rhythmically patted their hands on the surface of the desk as they listened, seemingly in a show of enthusiasm. The bug behind the counter also gestured as they spoke, drumming the fingers of one hand on their desk.

After a little while, the two of them seemed to have ended their conversation, and Ghost leisurely walked out of the shop with a wave goodbye, leaving Quirrel standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Ghost seemed to have wanted him to stay, so he did, letting his eyes roam around the room. The relics this bug kept seemed to be organized more like a museum collection than items for sale, leading him to question if they ever actually sold anything at all. 

The bug at the counter loudly cleared their throat to get his attention. “Planning on selling me anything, or will you get out?”

“I’m just taking a look around, don’t mind me.” Quirrel walked over to one of the shelves and began to look more closely at the items it displayed. They were obviously arranged with great care as to their contents and type, pointing to a curator who really knew what they were doing.

“With all due respect, of which I have very little, if you don’t have any relics for me, I order you to get out of my home.”

“Forgive me for the transgression, si-”, he narrowly stopped himself from calling them “sir”, “-relic keeper, I’ll be just a moment, just observing your collection. You really do have an impressive display!”

The bug got up from their seat and walked over to him, their neck ruff bristling in annoyance. “‘Sir’ is fine. And I have a name, you know, it’s right there on my desk placard with my  _ correct _ title.” Indeed, when Quirrel gave another glance at his desk, there was in fact a dusty nameplate that read “Relic Seeker Lemm”.

“Apologies, Lemm is it? Very nice name!”

Lemm sputtered for a moment, his hands working in frustration. “This is all irrelevant! You! Get out of my house  _ now _ ! I won’t ask again!”

Quirrel did not in fact get out of his house, and lingered in the room eyeing his relics. One particular item on one of the shelves caught his eye, and he turned to Lemm to mention it. “I wasn’t aware you traded in King’s Idols! I don’t know if you categorize them by ownership, but this one was commissioned by a high level staffer of the Archives. See, look at the position in which the King holds his hands. These outstretched limbs were sculpted holding various implements of writing and symbols of knowledge, but unfortunately most examples of this type have had breakage due to poor storage after the kingdom’s fall. They’re still identifiable by the design motifs and pose, however.”

As he spoke, Lemm’s expression changed from one of annoyance, to one of confusion, then finally to one of interest. His posture softened, and he looked at him with intrigue. “That’s… very interesting, actually. I wasn’t sure where to catalogue those particular idols because I couldn’t identify what the pose was intended to represent.” He clasped his hands in front of himself to stop himself from moving them in excitement and compose himself. “Could you… tell me more? Certainly don’t take this as an invitation to befriend me personally. One historian to another. A professional discussion.”

With every justifier Lemm added to his statement, Quirrel became more suspicious that the other bug was just desperate for someone to talk to and didn’t want to sacrifice his pride and professionalism to do so. “I’d love to talk more, but I have a house to get back to on the surface. Maybe we could meet up tomorrow? I’d love to come again, I’d give anything for another excuse to peruse your collection. It really is spectacular how in-depth it is. How long have you been collecting?”

“Most of my adult life, actually. It’s come with me whenever I’ve migrated. Anyway, that sounds fine. But don’t take it like I’m looking forward to any sort of personal connection. Just a professional chat.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow! It’s a date!” Quirrel said cheerily as he left the room.

“Wait, don’t phrase it like that! It’s a plan! A plan!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lemm autism real


End file.
